


The Rite

by krasni_zamalot



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Brotherly Bonding, Child Abandonment, Cultural Differences, Discrimination, Emotional Constipation, Family Feels, Fantastic Racism, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kid Fic, Kid Inuyasha, Pre-Canon, Protective Older Brothers, Psychological Trauma, Rites of Passage, Trust Issues, don't let him fool you though he very much wants to, fishing trips as a therapeutic tool, for once Sesshoumaru does NOT adopt a kid, humans are real nasty in this one, no really, not any worse than in the original content though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:14:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27641245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/krasni_zamalot/pseuds/krasni_zamalot
Summary: Despised by both humans and youkai alike, Inuyasha has been alone in the world ever since his mother's death. He struggles to survive on his own, afraid and distrustful of everyone. All of that might change with the apparition of a pure blooded demon named Sesshoumaru. Everything comes with a price though, especially when the Lord of the Westlands is concerned.Or, the one where Inuyasha is an adorable lil dogboy and Sesshoumaru is kind of a good brother for once, but there's a catch.
Relationships: InuYasha & Sesshoumaru (InuYasha)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 45





	The Rite

**Author's Note:**

> This will probably have a continuation, but I can't really tell when it's going to be ready. I've been very busy lately and there hasn't been a lot of time for me to write. 
> 
> I haven't really decided but this story may turn into inucest at some point. As of now I guess you could look at it as a family fic.
> 
> Having said that, I assure you that Sesshoumaru's feelings for Inuyasha in this one are 100% platonic. My boy ain't no pedophile, no matter what the yashahime writers say 😌
> 
> As always, thanks for reading! :)

Inuyasha halted to a stop once he reached the farthest corner of the rooftop. He stared at the ground below, and took a step back. The drop was deeper than he had first anticipated. He reasoned that the fall probably wouldn’t be enough to kill him; he might end up with one or two broken bones to show for it, though. 

“Stop, thief!”

Inuyasha looked back. The villagers were climbing the side of the hut, struggling to keep their balance on the feeble wood. It was only a matter of time until they reached him. Inuyasha hesitated. He could feel their eyes settle on him, shining with a blazing rage.

“Imm twist your fucking lil head off, hanyou!”

It was either one or the other. Inuyasha took a deep breath, ears twitching with every movement the humans made at his back. As he stored the loot away in his hakama, he told himself that he could do it. It was not such a large distance. Even for a half-breed, it ought to be a piece of cake. He walked back a few steps, minding not to lose his footing on the ridge, then ran as fast as he could, taking a leap towards the next rooftop. 

As he hung in the air, for a short, terrifying moment Inuyasha thought he was not going to make it.

Then he was crashing hard on sanded wood, hands stinging from taking the brunt of his fall. He groaned, feeling his limbs ache in protest. Not a very graceful landing. Inuyasha recovered quickly, though, sinking his claws in the wooden roof to prop himself up. The villagers were shouting at him from afar. 

“You won’t get away so easy! I’ll wipe that fucking smirk off your face!” 

Inuyasha snorted. They’d made it too easy; he was almost disappointed. He forgot about that as soon as he got a feel of his prize, though, still tightly secured on the front of his haori. His stomach roared. Before retreating, he took the time to pull his tongue out to his persecutors, pulling at the bottom lid of his eye. 

“Better luck next time, losers!” he exclaimed, smirking at the outraged shouting that followed. 

He located a ladder and quickly got down from the rooftop. It went better than he expected, despite the setbacks. Now he just needed to make his way out of the markets without being noticed. He meant to dash for the woodlands right away, but something got on his way. Or rather, someone.

The collision made Inuyasha fall down, landing on his back.

“Honestly, I’m starting to think you like it when we do this, kid.”

Inuyasha opened his eyes to stare at the six men standing in front of him, surrounding him at every angle. No chance to escape, no way to fight back; and no one to blame but himself. He ought not to be surprised. He'd been careless, and it's not like it was the first time he got caught snatching.

“You think you can steal from us and just walk away, bastard? Uh, uh. I think it’s about time we taught you a lesson,” one of the men said, cracking his knuckles.

Inuyasha took a deep breath, then let it go. There was no point in fighting it, anyway. The villagers never did finish him off, for whatever reason, so really all he had to do was take it.

Unwilling to show fear before a bunch of browbeaters, he stood up straighter and raised his head. Still, as he saw the villagers approach, Inuyasha could feel his ears instinctively lower to the back of his skull. He told himself that it didn’t matter; that this was the one and only display of weakness he would allow himself, before them. 

When it was over and the villagers walked away, they didn’t take back the loot.

“Leave it,” their leader said, “I’ve no use for it after that filthy hanyou touched it.”

Everything hurt. Inuyasha tried to rise and his whole body ached in protest. They might have broken something, although he wasn’t sure. Not that it mattered. He should be all healed up in a few days. Really, he ought to stand up; find someplace to lay low in the meantime. Inuyasha’s body wouldn’t cooperate, though. His eyes felt very heavy. 

He recovered consciousness sometime around sundown. The markets were deserted by then. Inuyasha picked up the loaf of bread with unsteady hands, and stealthily retreated into the forest.

* * *

In the forest there was a clearing where Inuyasha spent most of his days. In order to reach it one had to crawl under the thick natural hedge that surrounded it; quite a laborious task for a grown human, big and clumsy as they were, but fairly easy for a hanyou of the boy’s size. It was far enough from the village to ensure a bit of solitude, but not so much so that he had to worry about some lesser youkai looking for something to nibble on. He felt safe there. 

In the middle of the clearing there was an ancient tree of thick, steady branches, well covered by the foliage. On lazy afternoons Inuyasha liked to perch on them and take long naps. He meant to do just that, now. By nightfall he would be somewhat recovered, and then he could finally have a somewhat filling meal. It had been a while. One could only live off of mushrooms and wildberries for so long. 

He was about to start climbing when he felt the air around him change. Inuyasha’s stomach dropped. He wasn’t alone, anymore. Whatever it was, he didn’t have the strength to fight it off at the moment; if it was a youkai he was as good as dead. Inuyasha sniffed the air and felt himself relax, though.

“Ah, it’s just you,” he said, “would it kill you to announce yourself or something? Maybe say ‘hi’? It’s kinda scary how you just appear like that.”

Sesshoumaru strolled into the clearing, his armor shining in the fading sunlight. It was sort of unnerving how poised and well-groomed he looked; not a hair out of place in his thick, silvery mane. Inuyasha knew that reaching this place couldn’t have been easy for someone of his size, though. He reasoned Sesshomaru must have jumped the hedge. Inuyasha couldn’t quite picture him crawling underneath it; and it really wouldn't do, what with the white robes and all.

“That is not befitting. A Daiyoukai is never afraid.”

Inuyasha blushed. Sesshoumaru was really into that sort of comments. He had a lot of opinions about what a Daiyoukai should or shouldn’t do, and it seemed even hanyou weren’t spared the lectures. 

“Okay, so, you startled me, then. Whatever,” Inuyasha said, “hadn’t seen you around for a while.”

Sesshoumaru said nothing. Belatedly, Inuyasha realized that he was staring. He wondered if there was dirt on his face. Sesshoumaru wasn’t a fan of that sort of thing. 

“Have you stolen that?” He gestured at Inuyasha’s hands, still holding on tightly to the loaf of bread. 

“Ah, no?”

Inuyasha was not very good at reading people. He was especially not good at reading Sesshoumaru. By now, though, he had been able to gather that when his lips thinned just so and that slight frown appeared on his face, it meant that he was displeased.

“Lying suits you ill, hanyou.”

The boy crossed his arms.

“Well, maybe I did. So what? It’s not like they don’t have lots to spare.”

As soon as Inuyasha was done speaking, Sesshoumaru slapped his hand, making him drop the tasty treat to the ground. There went his dinner.

“You _bastard!_ What did you do that for?!”

Sesshoumaru stared down at him, his frown increasing. It was sort of funny, how he could make Inuyasha realize how badly he’d messed up just by looking at him. Funny for an outside observer, that is. For a little hanyou like him it was a hair-raising matter. Sesshomaru's anger was something that could be tasted in the air, like an incoming storm or the embers of a fire.

Inuyasha shifted. He wondered if Sesshomaru was going to hit him. Weirdly enough, he got the impression that it might be justified, if he did.

“This is the last time you choose your words so poorly when referring to me. Is that understood?"

Inuyasha nooded, suddenly finding the paths the ants were forming on the earth to be extremely interesting. It all seemed to go away, then; the air tasted clean and fresh. He felt Sesshoumaru walking away.

“Come,” he said.

Inuyasha frowned.

“Where are we going?” He asked. His stomach roared unexpectedly then, making him flush.

“You are hungry."

“Yeah, kind of.”

“Then, come,” and without further words Sesshoumaru jumped the hedge.

Inuyasha doubted only for a moment before going after him.

* * *

They went deeper into the forest, following a narrow path which led to a river of shallow waters. Inuyasha’s feet hurt. It was hard to follow Sesshoumaru around, with his wide strides and impossibly long legs. He didn’t complain, though. It did not seem wise, after he’d gotten that earful back at the clearing. 

By standards of most rivers Inuyasha would get to see in the future, this one came across as sort of a pitiable trickle; just big enough to host a few banks of fish. It was certainly a sight to see for a little boy, though. 

Inuyasha ran towards the stream, splashing lukewarm water on the legs of his kimono as he stepped inside. It barely reached his ankles. He took a deep breath and the smell of moss and fish infested waters filled his nose.

“This is kinda cool,” he said, “had never been here before.”

“I expected as much,” Sesshoumaru said, “it’s too deep into the forest for you.”

Inuyasha frowned.

“What do you mean, too deep for me?”

“You think I have not noticed? You try to act as if you weren’t, but deep in your heart you are afraid of the forest, aren’t you?”

“I am not! The forest is my home; it always has been.” 

“Is that so?” Sesshoumaru looked incredulous. “Is it not true that you live in the forest because you were forsaken by the humans after the death of your mother? Is it not true that if you could you’d exchange your clearing and tree branches for a hut and a warm bed? You are more human than youkai, after all.”

Inuyasha shook his head vehemently. 

“That is not true! Demon blood runs in my veins. My name is _Inuyasha_ and I am an inu-youkai. A human life means nothing to me.”

“Prove it, then,” Sesshoumaru said, infuriatingly calm. “Prove to me that in your spirit you are youkai.”

The boy raised his head to look Sesshoumaru in the eyes. He was a very tall demon; four times Inuyasha’s size, at least. He wondered if he too would grow to be as tall, one day. It seemed unlikely.

“Do not steal from others what you ought to obtain on your own,” Sesshoumaru said. “A Daiyoukai has pride. To starve is better than to be caught stealing scrapes from a human village.”

Inuyasha felt his ears lower, understanding dawning on him. That’s what it was about. Sesshoumaru was still mad, after all.

“What should I do, then?”

Sesshoumaru gestured at the stream. 

“I do not expect you to be any good at fishing. Seeing as I won’t allow for you to become a thief, you have no choice but to learn.”

Inuyasha stared at Sesshoumaru, then at the river. Is that why he had been brought here? To catch a fish?

He doubted for a moment, then planted his feet firmly on the ground. Really, Inuyasha ought to be angry (it had not been easy getting his hands on that bread) but he wasn’t. Not even a little bit. He smiled up at Sesshoumaru, rolling up his pants to keep them from getting wet. 

“Okay, fine. How hard can it be?” He said, running deeper into the water. 

Inuyasha was glad for a challenge, in a weird way. It wouldn’t do to have Sesshoumaru think so poorly of him. He might not have been a youkai, but he did have pride. Never mind his human mother or his mixed heritage; never mind what anyone in the village said about him being a bastard. He was worth something and someday everyone would know it. Even Sesshoumaru.

Especially Sesshoumaru.

* * *

Turns out catching a fish was much harder than Inuyasha had first thought. They just wouldn’t stay still. Not to mention they were incredibly slippery. Even when Inuyasha managed to grab hold of them it took but a few seconds for them to wiggle themselves free, splashing water all over his clothes.

Sesshoumaru observed from a distance. Night was setting in, but he didn’t seem to be in a hurry to leave. Perhaps he meant to stay until Inuyasha caught something. The thought seemed to fuel the boy’s energy, somehow. 

Inuyasha rolled up his pants again and went deeper into the water, hoping to find a bigger and slower target. He reached down to grab the pilchards as fast as he could but it was useless. Somehow, they always saw him coming. 

“You won’t catch anything like that,” Sesshoumaru said. He’d found himself a nice rock to sit on by the riverside. Wet from head to toe, reeking of fish and with gulfweed stuck to his hair, Inuyasha stared at him somewhat jealousy.

“What do you want me to do, then?” He asked, affronted. “Ask them to stay still, pretty please?”

“Let them get used to your presence. If you keep still long enough, they will not view you as a threat." 

"You want me to, what? Set them up?"

Sesshoumaru only tilted his head to the side. 

Although Inuyasha wasn’t convinced, he nodded all the same. He inhaled deeply; then started counting at the rhythm of his breathing. The pilchards seemed to grow calmer at the lack of movement. They swimmed around his legs unconcerned, steadily growing in number. Once Inuyasha reached twenty, he dived. 

He managed to take hold of one and lift it out of the water, but he squeezed too hard and soon the fish was flying out of his hands and back into the river. 

The second try didn’t go much better. Attempting to be sneaky didn’t fit Inuyasha all that well. In fact, it only made him slower when diving in. By the time he touched the water, the fishes had already dispersed.

_You are more human than youkai, after all._

Inuyasha growled. He inhaled deeply and started counting again. It had to be something big. Big enough to make Sesshoumaru swallow his words. Once Inuyasha decided on a target he held his breath, drew his claws and quickly dived in. The pilchard was slow to react, as expected. It struggled against Inuyasha’s grip with admirable strength, for a fish. 

He reached out with his other hand and tried to pull it out. It was no use. He pulled and pulled but the pilchard wouldn’t come out. Instead it struggled in his grip, desperately trying to get back to the bottom of the river.

Inuyasha felt himself sinking. He made the mistake of shifting his foot, looking for firmer ground to stand on. The pilchard took its chance and sprang towards the bottom with all its strength, taking Inuyasha down with it. The boy yelped in protest, sinking completely in the water despite his struggles. 

He didn’t come back up.

* * *

Sesshoumaru stared at the river for a full minute before it occurred to him that, maybe, he ought to do something. 

He stood with a sigh, suddenly very aware of his 800 years as he walked towards the stream. Inuyasha sure made him feel old with all that juvenile mischief of his. Perhaps it was a good thing that he wasn’t around, most of the time. He wouldn’t be able to take all the jumping and shouting. Surely, Sesshoumaru hadn’t been such a handful? 

He took off his boots and got into the river, looking for any trace of Inuyasha’s matted, silvery hair. He couldn’t see him. 

Unease started to build at the back of his head. How long had it been? Two, maybe three minutes? Enough to be dangerous for a human. Especially one so very young.

Sesshoumaru cursed himself. He’d taken too long to act; pushed the boy’s limits too far. Was he at the bottom? Had he been dragged by the current? Sesshoumaru was about to dive in when he felt a hand grabbing onto the legs of his kimono, pulling roughly at the silky material.

He turned to his side and there was Inuyasha; eyes closed and coughing, hanging onto his thigh as though it were a lifeline. He signed. His whole body seemed to relax at the sight of the little hanyou. It was not something Sesshoumaru cared to examine too closely. Not now, at least. 

He took Inuyasha by the shoulders and scooped him up. Alongside him, a fish came out of the water. A big, heavy fish, hanging from one of Inuyasha’s clawed hands. Not a pilchard by any means. It was almost as big as one of the boy’s calves. No wonder it had managed to drag him under. 

“Are you hurt?” Sesshoumaru said.

Inuyasha stared at him through dark eyelashes still lined by waterdrops. He was trembling. Not for the cold, but the adrenaline. The boy shook his head.

“Good. Shall we build a fire?” Sesshoumaru asked, stepping out of the water.

Inuyasha nooded, holding on tightly to him.

* * *

They did start a fire. Inuyasha undressed and hung his clothes to dry on a tree branch. Despite the cold, he wasn’t trembling. He sat dangerously close to the fire, though, wrapping short, scrawny arms around his legs.

He was a small boy. It was all the more obvious when deprived of the thick layers of clothes he usually wore. Of course, that wasn’t the way it ought to be. Daiyoukai of Inuyasha’s age were usually able to look after themselves. Fishing and hunting didn’t pose such a challenge to them.

Then again, Inuyasha was no youkai. Not truly. Perhaps his human blood made him weaker than Sesshoumaru had first predicted. 

Once again, he found himself wondering if it was fair to test Inuyasha in this way. Perhaps he should have waited for the boy to grow older. Sesshoumaru had been the same age when he went through the rite, though. It did not seem appropriate to wait any longer. Inuyasha was a Son of InuTaisho, after all. 

At least he knew how to cook a fish. He went through the process of cleaning and cutting it without Sesshoumaru having to give any instructions. Izayoi had taught him something, at least. She’d spoiled him for the most part, though. Even in death, she managed to be a hindrance in Sesshoumaru’s plans. 

Once the fish was steaming and ready, Inuyasha’s mouth visibly watered. He cut a big, juicy chunk, laid it on a fresh leaf and proceeded to quickly devour it. There was something desperate about the action. Sesshoumaru wondered when the boy had eaten last, but almost immediately banished the thought away. There should be no room in his heart for pity. Inuyasha’s survival depended only on himself. 

If he didn’t pass the rite it was simply because he wasn’t meant to. 

“Are you okay?” Inuyasha asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

Sesshoumaru arched a questioning eyebrow.

“You kinda look upset.”

Sesshoumaru considered for a moment, then shook his head.

“Nothing that concerns you.”

Inuyasha glared at him, but didn’t protest. As most people, he’d eventually grown used to being dismissed by Sesshoumaru. It had taken him a while, though. Despite his size, Inuyasha did have a fiery temper. 

“Whatever, not like I care,” he said, going back to his food.

It was quiet for a while. Inuyasha kept routinely turning the fish. It was quite a big catch. Enough to feed him for two or three days.

“Are you not going to eat?” Inuyasha asked eventually.

Sesshoumaru frowned. He stared at the fish - at the big, gaping mouth and sunken eyes staring at him from where the creature had been impaled and fried. He felt something inside himself squirm.

“I do not consume human food,” Sesshoumaru said.

“Oh.”

Inuyasha finished his portion of the fish. Afterwards, he laid down besides Sesshoumaru, rubbing his bulging belly with evident satisfaction. He didn’t seem to mind that he was essentially naked. His clothes would probably not dry until morning of the next day, anyway. 

From this close it was easy for Sesshoumaru to see the bruises. They weren’t even a day old; probably from this afternoon. He didn’t need to ask who did it or what the reasons were. Sesshoumaru had caught him in the act after all, and Inuyasha was predictable in that way. 

So were humans, of course. 

“Where did you learn that word? The one you said back at the clearing?”

Inuyasha frowned, uncomprehending. Then he seemed to remember. 

_You bastard! What did you do that for?_

The boy was quiet for a moment.

“They’ve called me that.”

Sesshoumaru felt his hand turn into a fist. He forced it to relax. 

“Who has?” He asked, although he knew the answer already.

Inuyasha only shrugged. 

“Do you know what it means?”

“I know that it's true, if that’s what you are asking.”

Sesshoumaru wasn’t sure what to answer to that so he didn’t, and they left it at that.

The boy stared at him for a while. He pretended not to notice. It took him a while, but eventually Inuyasha mustered the courage to speak. 

“Can I ask you a question?” 

“You may, although I do not promise to answer it.”

“You’re such a smartass,” Inuyasha deadpanned. 

Sesshoumaru smiled despite himself.

“You may ask me whatever you want, hanyou.”

“Well, it’s just that besides mother, no one’s ever done this.”

“Done what?”

“This. Sit with me. Talk to me. It’s only ever been beatings and name calling before. I was just wondering… why?”

Sesshoumaru hesitated. That was not an easy question to answer, especially to a child.

“You need not know why, as of now. My reasons should become clear, soon enough."

“That doesn’t really answer my question, though.”

“No, it doesn’t.”

Inuyasha looked annoyed but he didn’t further question Sesshoumaru. It seemed even he recognized a lost battle when he saw one. The boy curled into a tight little ball besides him, and fell asleep shortly after. 

Sesshoumaru stood guard throughout the night, idly stirring the fire.

* * *

He meant to leave first thing in the morning. 

Once Sesshoumaru got a glimpse of the first rays of the sun he turned off the fire and stood, carefully disentangling his mokomoko from around Inuyasha’s tiny body. The boy didn’t even stir. All the better. At the edge of the campsite Sesshoumaru sniffed the air for predators, but couldn’t feel any. A hanyou ought to be able to make his way back safely (even a little one). He was about to take his leave when he heard something moving at his back.

Sesshoumaru signed. His senses had gotten sharper since last time. Usually that would be a reason to be glad, but as it was he couldn’t help but be annoyed. 

“You really have some nerve, you know that?”

He turned to see Inuyasha standing only a few feet away; disheveled and weary eyed, but definitely awake. The boy glared balefully up at him. 

“You come here and try to tell me what to do as if you were my dad or some shit, only to leave the next morning without saying a word? No ‘bye-bye, Inuyasha’, ‘see you later, Inuyasha’. The fuck is it with you?”

Sesshoumaru remained silent. He didn’t really have a reason for leaving in such a fashion. It just made things easier. He half-expected Inuyasha to scream at him some more; to voice his complaints in that fiery, explosive way he'd grown used to. He didn’t, though. Sesshoumaru's silence seemed to make the boy deflate.

“If you do not wanna be around me, why do you even come here? Why won’t you tell me who you are? Why do you show up to help me and then leave for weeks or even months? Everything you do is so confusing and I _hate_ it!” 

Sesshoumaru signed. He drew closer until he was but a few inches away from Inuyasha. The kid wouldn’t look him in the eye. 

“Yes, that has been quite rude of me, hasn’t?”

Inuyasha raised his head. It would have been easier for Sesshoumaru to rebut him if he had been angry, but he wasn’t. He wanted to be, but what shone in Inuyasha’s eyes wasn’t anger. Sesshoumaru had never been fond of making children cry. 

“The name is Sesshoumaru, Lord of the Westlands and legitimate son of your late father, Inu no Taisho. I am your half-brother.”

“My brother?” Inuyasha frowned.

Sesshoumaru found it hard to tell what the boy was thinking. He didn’t seem thrilled, but he didn’t quite seem angry either. 

“Should I call you Sesshoumaru-nissan, then?” Inuyasha asked, crossing his arms. He was avoiding Sesshoumaru’s gaze again. 

“No, you shouldn’t.”

“But you just said-”

“I cannot stay, because ever since your mother died you’ve been going through a rite.”

“A rite?” Inuyasha took a step back. “What do you mean, a rite?”

“The rite of courage and cowardice is a test all inu-youkai go through when they reach a certain age. If you prove to me that you are able to survive on your own, that you are strong enough to be called a Daiyoukai, I will acknowledge you. Only then I will allow for you to call yourself my brother.”

Inuyasha bit his lower lip.

“How long does this rite take?”

“As long as it needs to,” Sesshoumaru said, because he saw no point in lying. 

The tears in Inuyasha’s eyes finally spilled. Sesshoumaru took a step towards him, but the boy quickly turned around, giving his back to him. 

“You were leaving, weren’t you?”

“...yes, I was.”

“A Daiyoukai has pride, that’s what you said wasn’t?” Inuyasha asked, voice suspiciously wet.

“I did.”

“I won’t forget, I promise,” the boy said. “See you, then.”

Sesshoumaru felt his stomach sink. He nodded, and without further words he turned on his heels and disappeared into the woodlands.

Inuyasha didn't follow and he didn't look back. 


End file.
